Authorities are inclined to believe that rhino poachers have a new modus operandi. This was after poachers struck again at the Weenen Game Reserve on Wednesday.

Two bloodied and distressed rhino with their horns neatly severed were found running around the reserve late on Wednesday.

Their horns appeared to be neatly sliced off with a sharp object like a saw. Wednesday’s poaching incident has raised the alarm for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) who believes that a different type of syndicate is operating. “This is a very different poaching scene to anything else we’ve experienced. While these losses have hit us hard, at this stage there appears no brutality in evidence. There were no axes or gunshot wounds. We just found evidence that the horns were removed by a saw,” said EKZNW Rhino Intervention Co-co-ordinator Cedric Coetzee. He added that although forensic investigations are ongoing, it seems like the poachers “wanted to keep these rhino alive before removing their horns.”

A team of EKZNW vets visited the Weenen Game Reserve on Thursday to assess the wounds inflicted on both rhino and decide on a plan of action. Ezemvelo vet, Dr. Dave Cooper indicated that a number of rhino have in the past survived such incidents. “It is critical that the wounds are cleaned properly and any foreign fragments or objects are removed from the wounds to prevent secondary infection. The rhino are given anti- biotic medication before being released,” he said.

Should the vets’ team decide that the wounds are very deep; the two rhino will be translocated to Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park’s Bomas where their progress will be observed daily. If the wounds are not deep, the rhino will be released back in the bush and their progress monitored whilst they are in the bush. The Weenen Game Reserve has lost six rhino since Friday, September 27. Five white rhino were found dead with their horns missing and one more white rhino was found dead on Monday, September 30 but authorities believe this death could be related to natural causes as both its horns were intact. EKZNW believes that the five poached rhino were given a lethal dose of the M99 drug but forensic testing will be done to determine the cause of death. 70 rhino have been killed in KZN in 2013.